Running from the city of Lucca the line crosses the Garfagnana and Lunigiana regions to join the Parma–La Spezia railway in Aulla.

The railway is managed by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) and passenger traffic is operated by Trenitalia, both of which are subsidiaries of Italy's state-owned rail company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS).

In almost flat territory the line passes the now-closed Piaggione station and another siding, this time to a factory owned by Italian paper company Lucart.

The line continues uphill serving stops at Fosciandora-Ceserana, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Villetta San Romano, Poggio-Careggine-Vagli and Camporgiano.

[3] The SCMT equipment was activated in sections: on 24 October 2021 between Piazza al Serchio and Aulla,[4] on 27 June 2022 between Lucca and Fornaci di Barga[5] and finally on 1 September 2022 between Piazza al Serchio and Fornaci di Barga[6] with the subsequent decommissioning of the previous Sistema Supporto Condotta SSC earth subsystem.